Participation of countries that apply Sharia law goes against Olympic principles of peace and philanthropy, say radical feminists

Police arrests semi-naked Femen activist in protest against participation of Sharia countries in the London 2012 Olympics (Twitter)

Five French members of the Femen radical feminist group have been arrested in London during a topless demonstration against the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The activists wore only knickers and had "No Sharia" written on their chests. They said their protest, outside City Hall, was against Olympic-competing countries which operate under Sharia or Islamic Law.

"Femen demands that the International Olympic Committee condemns violence towards women from Islamist states," they said on Facebook.

"Femen requires the states that apply the laws of Sharia be shut out of the Olympic Games because of the inhumanity of these laws, which are in total contradiction with Olympic principles of peace and philanthropy.

"Femen accuses these states of simulating democratic changes regarding the position of women," Femen continued. "With the support of the IOC, these Islamist governments use the participation of women in the Olympic Games to hide thousands of victims and dead."

"If the IOC keeps flirting with radical Islam, new Olympic disciplines, such as stoning or speed raping, will be added to the competition," they claimed.

In April, members of Femen staged a naked protest to defend Ukrainian women's rights to abortion. The activists climbed to the top of the Cathedral of St Sophia in the centre of Kiev and stripped from the waist up to protest against a bill that would ban abortions in the former communist country.

They previously disrupted the Russian presidential vote in a Moscow polling station on election day when they paraded half naked to draw attention to widespread claims of vote-rigging at the presidential polls.

A Femen movement protestor is detained by police officers in London during a naked protest about Islamic states (Reuters)